If you say “raw raw raw” really fast you start sounding like a pack of chanting cheerleaders. Since my post, to thrive or not to thrive, I’ve thought a lot about the low-fat, raw-vegan diet… and I do mean a lot. I’ve read many websites and watched countless YouTube videos on the topic. I finally broke down and bought some books. Most of the ones I found didn’t have a Kindle version, so I had to wait for those to arrive via Amazon’s “super saver shipping”. One book that did have a Kindle version was Robert Morse’s, The Detox Miracle Sourcebook.

I’ve watched several of Morse’s videos and he offers most of the information in his book for free on his YouTube channel. To me, the book was most helpful in regard to the detailed information on the functions of the human body. I’m not sure what religion he practices, but he sounded a bit “inner peace” and “new age-y” to me, he even mentions reincarnation in one of his videos (although he could have been joking). I have no doubt that, in general, his heart is in the right place. It is quite clear that he desires to help others, but I find it difficult to read his recommendations on the “ideal diet”, when it appears that he doesn’t live by it himself. That being said, I did find his book educational. The most profound part for me was the explanation of the lymphatic system (which you can watch on his YouTube channel). I already knew about acidic and alkaline ramifications, but that would be something important to know for those who haven’t heard of it before.

The two books I was waiting for via snail mail arrived a few days ago. I dove right into one of them because its basic philosophy is what I based my first raw challenge on. I’ve watched many videos about Doug Graham’s 80/10/10 diet. The first video I watched with him in it was one where he performed “superman” pushups (the video is now blocked for some reason). I called the Husband in to see it – unbelievable. Clearly he practices what he preaches. It is one nutrition plan where the testimonials of people actually doing it are undeniably remarkable. Sure, people lose weight but the ailments and diseases they recover from by eating this way are astounding. It’s further proof to me that God is more incredible than we could ever comprehend. We are truly fearfully and wonderfully made.

I ordered Graham’s book, The 80/10/10 Diet, to see if I was missing anything in my attempts to go (and stay) low-fat, raw vegan. I did come across a few things I should change. Overall, I found the book informative and helpful in clearing up some questions I had. The book also further confirmed that this is something I really want to do. Graham even includes some seasonal “menus” for those needing further help (and maybe a bit of variety) in their meal planning. Since I’ve struggled with staying raw, I think this part grabbed my attention the most:

“Learning how to eat a raw food diet properly takes time, patience, and yes, effort. Although I provide a blueprint for doing it healthfully, most people find it challenging to adopt the raw diet 100% the first time out, unless they get professional guidance. It seldom occurs overnight, and in fact, can take years to accomplish.

Because our taste buds have been exposed to, and our brains have experienced the excitement of salt, sugar, and spices, we may miss those tastes initially when they are no longer part of the daily diet.” (p. 251)

This really made me feel better. I was pretty down on myself over derailing for cooked/salty food the first time… and the second… and the third. This is most certainly a process, one I plan to keep working on. Lord willing, one day I’ll cross over to low-fat, raw-vegan and stay there. I was hoping he would have some kind of formula for convincing your spouse to do the diet with you. Instead he says, “accept them where they are, and then lead by example, with an open heart… you will have far greater success if you do.” Yeah, not exactly what I wanted to hear, but I know it’s true. If it were up to me, we would remove the oven and the microwave and install shelves to hold raw fruit in their place… maybe one day (picture me daydreaming with a goofy grin on my face).

The third book I purchased isn’t necessarily about raw food. I first heard about this book while watching the documentary, Forks over Knives. If you have Netflix, you really must watch this flick. It totally transformed our belief system about food – literally overnight. The movie interviews a doctor by the name of T. Colin Campbell. I’ve wanted to read his book, The China Study, since October of last year. I began reading it today and all I can say is, “Wow!” It amazes me that this information isn’t common knowledge, especially with all of this scientific proof to back it up. I’ve talked to a lot of people over the past seven months about what we are learning about our bodies and the foods that we eat. Most find it “interesting” but not enough to alter their belief system. I am usually hesitant to say any particular diet is right for everyone, but what I’m learning has me wanting to shout, “Eat your fruits and veggies, people!” Grab a copy of The China Study and see what you think for yourself. This book doesn’t chant, “raw, raw, raw”, but it does give a great argument for a whole-food, plant-based, vegan diet. Hmm, not really sure what “plant, plant, plant” sounds like when you chant it, but I’m thinking it may just be the sound of health restoration.